Weather and Traffic

A stricken Ross Harris jury sees crime-scene photos of toddler

Defendant Ross Harris averts his eyes as the prosecution projected photos of his son?셲 body onto a large screen in the courtroom. On the right is defense attorney Carlos Rodriguez. Lead defense attorney Maddox Kilgore is at lower left. (Screen capture from WSB-TV video)

At least two jurors on the six-man, six-woman panel refused to look at crime-scene photos showing the body of Cooper Harris, the 22-month-old boy who was left to die inside an SUV on a sweltering June day in 2014. The pictures showed the toddler?셲 body in a state of rigor mortis, his knees slightly bent, arms to his side, as his body lay on the asphalt of a parking lot in Cobb County. It was, witnesses said, as if he were still sitting in the car seat that his father had strapped him into some seven hours earlier.

Justin Ross Harris, charged with murder in little boy?셲 death, also looked away as the prosecution projected images of his dead child onto a big screen in the courtroom. Sitting at the defense table in shirtsleeves and tie, Harris covered his eyes with his right hand and appeared to be wiping away tears.

Later Wednesday, with the trial on the verge of an extended recess because of Hurricane Matthew, the defense sought to end the proceedings altogether.

“This witness … came out of the box with stuff that wasn’t in his report, totally and completely different,” Kilgore said. “And we have the right in defending Mr. Harris to bust him on it and show the jury exactly what was in his report.”

Kilgore pointed to new rules of evidence that allowed the defense to admit police reports into evidence.

“I felt like he was acting hysterical. Not hysterical, but acting,” said the officer, one of the first responders at the Akers Mill Square parking lot, where Harris said he first discovered Cooper’s body was in his car.

Under cross-examination, Gallimore was pressed by Kilgore why, in his initial report, he never pointed out Harris’ alleged lack of authenticity.

“At the end of your report, you said when securing the scene Ross Harris was still extremely upset,” Kilgore said.

Judge Staley Clark said Wednesday afternoon that the trial would recess at the end of the day and not reconvene until Monday, because of the approach of Hurricane Matthew. The storm is expected to strike the Georgia coast, including Brunswick, this weekend.